


Of Rogues and Rescues

by StBridget



Series: Of Phoenix and Fosters [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Adoption, Cats, Fluff, Gen, Pets, literal fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21626791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: Mac and Jack find the loves of their lives at an adoption event.
Series: Of Phoenix and Fosters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558723
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26





	Of Rogues and Rescues

**Author's Note:**

> MacGyver is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> This work is the intro for 2 stories to follow: Of Cats and Castles, which tells the story of Mac and his new cat, Newton, and Of Dalton and Dogs, which is the story of Jack and his dog McClane. There will also be a third story, hinted at in the first chapter of Of Cats and Castles, with Riley and her new pet.
> 
> The inspiration for this work goes to TorchwoodCardiff and LegendsofThunderbirdsDragon. TorchwoodCardiff and I have an ongoing game of "What pet would the MacGyver folk have?" LegendsofThunderbirdsDragon read Mesocricetus Auratus where Mac builds a super-habitat for a hamster and wanted to know what he'd do for a cat. They also suggested the Pixie-Bob.

“How do you set this thing up, anyway?” Jack whined as he struggled with the exercise pen. He bent the sides forward and back, even turned it upside down before finally getting it arranged in a roughly square shape. “I never was any good at puzzles. Why aren’t you doing this, Mac? Seems like this is right up your alley.”

“Because you volunteered,” Mac said as he came up next to Jack carrying a carrier with a very unhappy cat who had no problems letting the world know it. He noticed despite Jack’s complaining he had the pen set up in less than 30 seconds and was on to the next, still complaining.

“I volunteered for the wrong job. We should switch. I’m the brawn, I should be hauling the carriers. You’re the brains, you should be doing this.” Jack kept up a constant stream of chatter as he “fumbled” with the pen, still setting it up quickly despite looking hopeless at the task.

“You didn’t want to carry the carriers,” Mac pointed out. “You were afraid of getting scratched.”

“Damn straight,” Jack said, moving on to the third pen. “Cats are nasty creatures, all teeth and claws and oh-so-holier-than-thou. Give me a dog any day.”

“Once you get the pens set up, you can help with the dogs,” Mac promised, noticing Jack was on the last pen even though he was still making the task look difficult. “I’m going to go get another cat.”

Jack finished the pen and wiped his brow. “How many animals are at this thing, anyway?”

“Over a hundred,” Mac said. “They invited five different rescues, and each rescue brought as many animals as possible.”

Matty had decided the team needed to “establish ties to the community and give Phoenix a good image” (“Why?” Jack had asked. “We’re a top secret spy organization. We’re not supposed to have ties to the community.” “But our cover organization should,” Matty said. “Therefore, you four are doing community service.”). As a result, they were helping out at a National Adoption event at Hollywood Lake park. The organizers had convinced several celebrities to make an appearance (everyone knew getting your picture with a cute puppy or kitten did wonders for your reputation), and the lucky rescues were showcasing their most desirable pets, although personally Mac thought they should bring their harder to place animals.

Mac and Jack had volunteered to help with setup. Bozer was wandering around with his camera gear setting up a streaming feed. Riley had set up a wi-fi hotspot and mini-business center for faxing, printing, email, and other functions to help the rescues with their paperwork. Personally, Mac thought he and Jack had the best job; they got to interact with the animals up-close and personal. Riley and Bozer didn’t seem to mind, though.

Mac and Jack headed for the place where the rescues were unloading. Jack made a beeline for a Rottweiler cowering in its cage. Mac watched as Jack crouched down and offered his hand to the scared dog, crooning softly. It took a moment, but finally the dog scootched forward and tentatively sniffed Jack’s hand. The smile that lit up Jack’s face would power the city. “Looks like you found a friend,” Mac said.

Jack coaxed the dog out of the cage and snapped a leash on its collar. Jack ruffled its ears and praised it “Good boy. What a good boy!” The dog’s rear end wiggled slightly as he tried to wag his non-existent tail, and he gave Jack’s face a good, long lick. Jack laughed as he wiped his face. “Thanks, buddy. Obviously, I didn’t do a good enough job washing my face.” Jack stood and tugged gently on the leash. “Let’s go. You’ll make somebody a wonderful pet.”

Mac was moved by Jack’s interactions with the dog. “You could adopt him,” Mac suggested.

Jack looked tempted, then shook his head. “Nah, I’m not home enough to take care of a dog.” Mac thought he saw a look of regret on Jack’s face and made a note to try to do something about it.

After Jack wandered off with the dog, Mac turned his attention to the cats.

Mac grabbed a carrier and peered at the cat inside. It was fairly large, with a bobtail, a fluffy face, a white chin, and a spotted-tabby coat pattern. The feet were huge and black on the bottom, and Mac noticed the cat was polydactyl. “You’re an interesting one, aren’t you? What kind are you?”

The cat didn’t answer. It rubbed it’s head against the door of the cage. Mac reached in and scritched along its cheek. It let out a loud, rumbling purr. “Whatever you are, you sure are cute.”

One of the regular rescue volunteers came up and noticed Mac stroking the cat. “That’s Bob. He’s a pixie-bob. They’re a cross between a bobcat and a domestic cat.”

“Pretty cool,” Mac said, reluctantly stopping his scratching and picking up the carrier. “Seems like the kind of cat I’d like to have.”

“He’s up for adoption,” the volunteer said.

“I would,” Mac said, “but I travel a lot. I’m afraid he’d be lonely.” He held up his hand as the volunteer opened her mouth. “And don’t say get two. Two is more than twice the work, and I definitely don’t need that.”

The volunteer smiled at Mac. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to. What I was going to say is cats are pretty self-sufficient. Leave him some food and water, and he’ll be good for a couple of days.”

Mac briefly considered it, but dismissed the idea. If Jack couldn’t have a dog because of their jobs, Mac couldn’t have a cat. Mac ignored the voice in the back of his head telling him the volunteer was right; cats were easier to take care of than dogs. Still, it didn’t seem fair for him to get a pet and not Jack.

Mac transferred Bob (and what a horrible name for a magnificent cat like him. How obvious could you get, anyway? If he were Mac’s cat, Mac would give him a much better name). Mac stopped that train of thought. If he named the cat, he’d be one step closer to taking him home, and he couldn’t do that, right? Right, he told himself firmly.

Jack looked over from where he was playing with the Rottweiler. He noticed Mac petting Bob who was moving back and forth in his cage, rubbing against the bars and, not coincidentally, Mac’s fingers, purring up a storm. “Now who has a friend?” Jack teased.

“Isn’t he a beaut?” Mac said, pressing his face to the cage and letting Bob rub against it.

“He’s definitely unusual,” Jack said. “What is he, anyway?”

“A pixie-bob. He’s a cross between a domestic cat and a bobcat.” Mac repeated what the volunteer had told him.

“Bobcat, huh? Sounds nasty,” Jack said.

“Nah, he’s just a big lug. Aren’t you, Bob?”

Jack snorted. “Seems like they could come up with a better name than Bob.”

“I know, right?” Mac said. “Something cool. Like. . .” he thought a minute, “Newton. That’s a good name for a cat. After all, everyone knows cats defy the laws of gravity.”

Jack studied Mac carefully. “Seems like you’ve given this some thought,” he said, tone neutral.

Mac shrugged. “Not really. Just seems like a good name.”

“Careful, Mac, people might think you’re getting attached,” Jack said. The tone was teasing, but there was a note of warning.

Mac laughed it off. “Nah, you said it yourself, we’re gone too much for pets, right?”

“Right,” Jack said. Mac noticed his eyes went longingly to the Rottweiler.

Mac made a snap decision. That was unusual for him—usually Jack was the impulsive one, and Mac always had a plan—maybe a spur-of-the-moment plan, but a plan. “I’ll do it if you do it.”

“Mac, don’t talk crazy,” Jack said. “It just wouldn’t work.”

“Why not?” Mac argued. “We’ve both got room. Your apartment isn’t huge, but you’ve got space, and you could bring him over to run on my property. I’ve got lots of room.” The more Mac thought about it, the more Mac liked the idea.

“Who’s going to take care of him when I’m gone?” Jack asked.

“Your neighbor’s son,” Mac said, immediately. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind some extra cash.”

Jack let his eyes linger on the dog, longing clear in them. “You serious about this?”

Mac nodded, definitively. “I am. What do you say?”

Jack grinned. “Let’s go adopt some animals.”


End file.
